Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

The candlelight inside was dim and yellowish, its light reduced to a tiny speck by the heavy stench of blood.

Pei Junlan had just woken up when she staggered to the bedside. Seeing Pei Zhihui's deathly pale face, she rolled her eyes and was about to faint again.

A hand steadily supported her elbow.

Shen Qiongju was still wearing the blood-stained green jacket and skirt, her hair was slightly disheveled, and her usually gentle and bright eyes were now frighteningly still.

"Zhiyan, escort your aunt and second aunt back to their room."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unyielding coldness.

Liu was holding Zhichun and crying so hard she couldn't breathe. Upon hearing this, she was stunned and subconsciously stopped crying.

"But Erlang..."

"I'm here." Shen Qiongju interrupted her, her gaze sweeping over the flustered servants in the room. "Don't make things worse. The doctor said he needs to rest."

Pei Junlan was helped out.

The room instantly emptied, leaving only a suffocating silence and a strong smell of medicine.

The last doctor, drenched in sweat, said, "This poison is extremely potent."

He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "This poison is called 'Cold Crow Crossing.' Those poisoned first experience a high fever, then their body temperature drops sharply, as if they have fallen into an icy abyss."

He glanced at Shen Qiongju and sighed.

"Tonight is the gates of hell. If one survives the hypothermia following the high fever, one can live. If one doesn't survive... even a celestial being cannot save one."

Furthermore, those poisoned by this substance will have their warmth blocked by other heating objects; it is best to warm them with your own body heat.

After seeing the doctor off, Pei An stood guard outside the door.

Late at night.

Just as the doctor said, Pei Zhihui's fever subsided very quickly.

It was scalding hot one moment, but cooled down quickly the next.

Shen Qiongju stood by the bedside, watching as a thin layer of white frost formed on his eyebrows.

His face was almost transparently white, his jaw was clenched so tightly that it made a "crunching" sound, and he was trembling uncontrollably all over.

"cold……"

He murmured incoherently, his voice broken.

Four charcoal braziers were added to the room, burning fiercely, making Shen Qiongju sweat profusely. The bed was stuffed with hot water bottles, but Pei Zhihui's body remained like a block of ice that could never be warmed.

He was trembling, and the whole bed was shaking slightly.

Just as the doctor said, the body must generate warmth.

Shen Qiongju called Pei An, who was outside the door, "You heard what the doctor said. Tonight, you will keep your master warm."

Pei An lowered his head in fear and said, "Please forgive me, Madam, but Second Master doesn't like anyone getting close to him, especially when he's resting. If you try to get close, you'll be accidentally injured."

Shen Qiongju was speechless. This person was half-dead, how could he possibly hurt someone else?

Shen Qiongju gestured for Pei An to go in from outside the door, and Pei An hesitated for a moment before bracing himself and going in.

"Ah... hiss..."

A moment later, Pei An came out with a pale face. He bowed his head and said, "Young Madam, Pei An is incompetent."

Shen Qiongju frowned and instructed him, "Go and call Young Master Zhiyan over."

However, as expected, Pei Zhiyan went in and came out with two screams and swollen eyes.

Even my own brother isn't allowed?

Shen Qiongju: "..." What's wrong with this person?

Helpless, she had no choice but to go in and find out for herself.

She touched Pei Zhihui's hand and forehead with her hand and found that he had not been attacked.

However, Pei Zhihui's condition is now extremely serious, and he is so cold that his body is gradually stiffening.

Shen Qiongju looked at him, her mind filled with the image of him turning around and blocking the knife in the snow.

The evil spirit who pushed her into the abyss in her past life and the boy who was now risking his life to save her intertwined and tore apart before her eyes.

Never mind, she owes him.

This life was bought back by Pei Zhihui with his own flesh and blood.

Shen Qiongju first knelt on the bed and rubbed his hands and feet, trying to warm him up, but it was no use.

Helpless, she gritted her teeth and, with trembling fingers, untied her outer garment, which slipped off, followed by her shoes and socks.

Wearing only a thin undergarment, she lifted the corner of the quilt and crawled into the cold bed. The moment their bodies touched, Shen Qiongju shivered from the cold.

She took a deep breath, opened her arms, and hugged the trembling body tightly.

She pressed her warm chest against his back and wrapped her legs around his cold legs, trying to transfer her warmth to him.

At that moment, Pei Zhihui, who had been in a daze, seemed to grab onto the only piece of driftwood as if he were drowning.

He suddenly rolled over and instinctively pulled her tightly into his arms.

That was immense force, as if it were trying to break her bones and knead them into her own flesh.

"Sister-in-law..."

He struggled in his nightmare, his voice hoarse and sinister, revealing a chilling obsession.

"Don't go...you're mine...no one can take you away..."

Shen Qiongju's heart pounded, and she froze on the spot, not daring to move. His warm breath sprayed onto the nape of her neck, carrying a strong smell of blood and medicine.

"I'm not leaving."

She soothed him gently, stroking his cold back with her hand, and hummed a lullaby her mother used to lull her to sleep when he was a child.

Pei Zhihui's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed. He buried his head deep in the crook of her neck, greedily inhaling her warmth and fragrance.

It was an extreme act of possessiveness. Like a dragon coiled around its only treasure, not allowing anyone to even peek inside.

In the latter half of the night, the wind and snow gradually stopped.

The chill emanating from Pei Zhihui finally dissipated, and his breathing became steady and long. Exhausted, Shen Qiongju fell into a deep sleep in his arms.

In the darkness, Pei Zhihui, whose eyes had been tightly closed, slowly opened them a crack.

Those eyes were as deep as a pool, clear and bright, showing no sign of being unconscious.

He lowered his head slightly, looking at the unsuspecting woman in his arms by the dim candlelight.

She clung to him like an octopus, her cheek pressed against his chest, fast asleep.

Pei Zhihui's lips curled into a sickly yet satisfied smile.

He greedily inhaled the fragrance of her hair, his slender fingers gently caressing the delicate skin on the back of her neck.

The pulse beneath my fingertips is vibrant and warm.

"Sister-in-law."

He silently murmured to himself, "You offered yourself up. Now that you've taken the bait, don't even think about letting go."

As dawn broke, Shen Qiongju was awakened by being strangled.

She opened her eyes groggily and found herself hanging on Pei Zhihui, their position extremely intimate.

Her legs were on his waist, and her arms were around his neck.

"Awake?" A hoarse voice sounded from above.

Shen Qiongju suddenly looked up and met a pair of eyes that seemed to be smiling but not smiling. Pei Zhihui was leaning against the pillow, his face still pale, but his spirits were still good.

He looked down at her, his tone tinged with a languid, just-awakened languor and a hint of mockery, "Sister-in-law, are you... taking advantage of me?"

Shen Qiongju's face flushed instantly. She tried to get up in a panic, but because her hands and feet were numb, she fell even deeper into his arms.

"I...I did it to save you!" she stammered, trying to explain.

"I know," Pei Zhihui interrupted her.

He didn't let go; instead, he tightened his grip, his gaze fixed intently on her face.

"My sister-in-law's body... is very warm."

Shen Qiongju's breath hitched, speechless at those words.

Just then, Pei An knocked urgently on the door.

"Second Master, Young Madam!"

The knocking outside the door was urgent, forcefully shattering the thin layer of ambiguous ice inside the room.

Shen Qiongju recoiled as if electrocuted, leaning back and nearly rolling off the edge of the bed.

Pei Zhihui's playful expression vanished instantly. He reached out and grabbed her lower back, pulling her back.

"What's the panic?"

His voice was still hoarse from illness, and the warmth of his palm seeped through his thin undergarment, making Shen Qiongju's scalp tingle.

"I'll go open the door."

Shen Qiongju pushed his hand away haphazardly and jumped off the bed as if fleeing. With her back to Pei Zhihui, she straightened her clothes, her fingers somewhat uncooperative, and she buttoned the shirt wrong twice.

A very soft, hoarse laugh came from behind.

Shen Qiongju pretended not to hear, took two deep breaths, and then opened the door.

Pei An stood at the door, his face even paler than the snow outside.

He glanced into the room and saw that the Second Master was already sitting on the headboard. He then lowered his voice and said, "Young Madam, the steward from the Shen family has arrived and is waiting outside the second gate. He said... something terrible has happened."